Design and Analysis of Algorithms

CSE 5311
Lecture 19 Topological Sort

Junzhou Huang, Ph.D.

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

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 Topological Sort
Want to “sort” a directed acyclic graph (DAG).

A B D

C E

A B C D E

Think of original DAG as a partial order.

Want a total order that extends this partial order.
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 Topological Sort

• Performed on a DAG.
• Linear ordering of the vertices of G such that if (u, v) ∈ E,
then u appears somewhere before v.
Topological-Sort (G)
1. call DFS(G) to compute finishing times f [v] for all v ∈ V
2. as each vertex is finished, insert it onto the front of a linked list
3. return the linked list of vertices

Time: Θ(V + E).

Example: On board.

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 Example
(Courtesy of Prof. Jim Anderson)

A B D
1/

C E

Linked List:

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 Example

A B D
1/

2/
C E

Linked List:

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 Example

A B D
1/

2/3
C E

Linked List:
2/3
E

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 Example

A B D
1/4

2/3
C E

Linked List:
1/4 2/3
D E

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 Example

A B D
5/ 1/4

2/3
C E

Linked List:
1/4 2/3
D E

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 Example

A B D
5/ 1/4

6/ 2/3
C E

Linked List:
1/4 2/3
D E

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 Example

A B D
5/ 1/4

6/7 2/3
C E

Linked List:
6/7 1/4 2/3
C D E

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 Example

A B D
5/8 1/4

6/7 2/3
C E

Linked List:
5/8 6/7 1/4 2/3
B C D E

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 Example

A B D
9/ 5/8 1/4

6/7 2/3
C E

Linked List:
5/8 6/7 1/4 2/3
B C D E

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 Example

A B D
9/10 5/8 1/4

6/7 2/3
C E

Linked List:
9/10 5/8 6/7 1/4 2/3
A B C D E

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 Correctness Proof

• Just need to show if (u, v) ∈ E, then f [v] < f [u].

• When we explore (u, v), what are the colors of u and v?
– u is gray.
– Is v gray, too?

No, because then v would be ancestor of u.

⇒ (u, v) is a back edge.

⇒ contradiction of Lemma 22.11 (dag has no back edges).
– Is v white?

Then becomes descendant of u.

By parenthesis theorem, d[u] < d[v] < f [v] < f [u].
– Is v black?

Then v is already finished.

Since we’re exploring (u, v), we have not yet finished u.

Therefore, f [v] < f [u].
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 Strongly Connected Components

• G is strongly connected if every pair (u, v) of

vertices in G is reachable from one another.
• A strongly connected component (SCC) of G is
a maximal set of vertices C ⊆ V such that for all u,
v ∈ C, both u v and v u exist.

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 Component Graph

• GSCC = (VSCC, ESCC).

• VSCC has one vertex for each SCC in G.
• ESCC has an edge if there’s an edge between the
corresponding SCC’s in G.
• GSCC for the example considered:

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 GSCC is a DAG

Lemma 22.13
Let C and C′ be distinct SCC’s in G, let u, v ∈ C, u′, v′ ∈ C′,
and suppose there is a path u u′ in G. Then there cannot
also be a path v′ v in G.

Proof:
• Suppose there is a path v′ v in G.
• Then there are paths u u′ v′ and v′ v u in G.
• Therefore, u and v′ are reachable from each other,
so they are not in separate SCC’s.

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 Transpose of a Directed Graph

• GT = transpose of directed G.
– GT = (V, ET), ET = {(u, v) : (v, u) ∈ E}.
– GT is G with all edges reversed.
• Can create GT in Θ(V + E) time if using adjacency
lists.
• G and GT have the same SCC’s. (u and v are
reachable from each other in G if and only if
reachable from each other in GT.)

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 Algorithm to determine SCCs

SCC(G)
1. call DFS(G) to compute finishing times f [u] for all u
2. compute GT
3. call DFS(GT), but in the main loop, consider vertices in
order of decreasing f [u] (as computed in first DFS)
4. output the vertices in each tree of the depth-first forest
formed in second DFS as a separate SCC

Time: Θ(V + E).

Example: On board.

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 Example
(Courtesy of Prof. Jim Anderson)
G
a b c d
13/14 11/16 1/10 8/9

12/15 3/4 2/7 5/6

e f g h

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 Example
GT
a b c d

e f g h

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 Example

cd
abe

fg h

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 Example (2)

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 Example (2) DFS

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 Example (2) GT

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 Example (2) DFT in GT

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 Example (2) SCC

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 How does it work?

• Idea:
– By considering vertices in second DFS in decreasing order of
finishing times from first DFS, we are visiting vertices of the
component graph in topologically sorted order.
– Because we are running DFS on GT, we will not be visiting any v
from a u, where v and u are in different components.
• Notation:
– d[u] and f [u] always refer to first DFS.
– Extend notation for d and f to sets of vertices U ⊆ V:
– d(U) = minu∈U{d[u]} (earliest discovery time)
– f (U) = maxu∈U{ f [u]} (latest finishing time)

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 SCCs and DFS finishing times

Lemma 22.14
Let C and C′ be distinct SCC’s in G = (V, E). Suppose there is an edge
(u, v) ∈ E such that u ∈ C and v ∈C′. Then f (C) > f (C′).
C C′
Proof:
• Case 1: d(C) < d(C′)
– Let x be the first vertex discovered in C.
u v
– At time d[x], all vertices in C and C′ are
white. Thus, there exist paths of white
vertices from x to all vertices in C and C′. x
– By the white-path theorem, all vertices in C
and C′ are descendants of x in depth-first
tree.
– By the parenthesis theorem, f [x] = f (C) >
f(C′).

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 SCCs and DFS finishing times

Lemma 22.14
Let C and C′ be distinct SCC’s in G = (V, E). Suppose there is an edge
(u, v) ∈ E such that u ∈ C and v ∈C′. Then f (C) > f (C′).
Proof:
C C′
• Case 2: d(C) > d(C′)
– Let y be the first vertex discovered in C′.
– At time d[y], all vertices in C′ are white and
there is a white path from y to each vertex in u v
C′ ⇒ all vertices in C′ become descendants of
y. Again, f [y] = f (C′).
– At time d[y], all vertices in C are also white.
x y
– By earlier lemma, since there is an edge (u, v),
we cannot have a path from C′ to C.
– So no vertex in C is reachable from y.
– Therefore, at time f [y], all vertices in C are still
white.
– Therefore, for all w ∈ C, f [w] > f [y], which
implies that f (C) > f (C′).
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 SCCs and DFS finishing times

Corollary 22.15
Let C and C′ be distinct SCC’s in G = (V, E). Suppose there is an edge
(u, v) ∈ ET, where u ∈ C and v ∈ C′. Then f(C) < f(C′).

Proof:
• (u, v) ∈ ET ⇒ (v, u) ∈ E.
• Since SCC’s of G and GT are the same, f(C′) > f (C), by
Lemma 22.14.

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 Correctness of SCC

• When we do the second DFS, on GT, start with SCC C

such that f(C) is maximum.
– The second DFS starts from some x ∈ C, and it visits all vertices
in C.
– Corollary 22.15 says that since f(C) > f (C′) for all C ≠ C′, there
are no edges from C to C′ in GT.
– Therefore, DFS will visit only vertices in C.
– Which means that the depth-first tree rooted at x contains exactly
the vertices of C.

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 Correctness of SCC

• The next root chosen in the second DFS is in SCC C′ such

that f (C′) is maximum over all SCC’s other than C.
– DFS visits all vertices in C′, but the only edges out of C′ go to C,
which we’ve already visited.
– Therefore, the only tree edges will be to vertices in C′.
• We can continue the process.
• Each time we choose a root for the second DFS, it can
reach only
– vertices in its SCC—get tree edges to these,
– vertices in SCC’s already visited in second DFS—get no tree edges
to these.

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